Game Review: Gravity Falls: Legend of the Gnome Gemulets

Just a little over a week ago, Gravity Falls: Legend of the Gnome Gemulets hit store shelves. It’s a Nintendo 3DS exclusive and allows players to play as both Dipper and Mable. Before playing this, I had never seen an episode of the show. So I checked out a few episodes before playing, just to familiarize myself with the characters and sense of humor. I think it’s a charming show, clever wit, and has fun characters and adventures. So how is the new game? Read on to find out.

In Gravity Falls: Legend of the Gnome Gemulets “A crisis has engulfed the Gnome kingdom – and only Dipper and Mabel can save the day! The Pines twins must work together to explore Gravity Falls, gather mysterious items, battle enemies that block their path, and ultimately restore order to the kingdom!”

Legend of the Gnome Gemulets is a fun platformer with some puzzling and RPG elements thrown into the mix. There are a lot of interesting levels that all look and sound distinct from one another. The music in the game can be very repetative at times and this can be both a positive and a negative, depending on the level. Some levels sounded very nice on repeat, other levels I had to turn the volume way down. It isn’t like a five second loop or anything, but it’s certainly noticeable.

The combat in the game is pretty fun at first, but it doesn’t change up much. You can use Dipper’s power cuffs for some close combat attacks, or you can use Mable’s bedazzling fleece for longer distance strikes. I found myself using both, depending on the enemy. There are a few different enemies in the game, most of which can be taken down the same way. So, there isn’t much creativity in the combat department, but there are a few twists. When those twists arrive though, the game makes sure to hold your hand and tell you how to beat the foe. I tried to ignore the help as much as possible, because figuring it out is the fun part. But if you do have trouble at any point, there is a guide.

There are a ton of things to collect in this game, so if you’re a completionist, you’ll find some joy in that. The use of the 3D feature in this game is really limited to the background. It makes the scenery pop, but everything in the forefront remains the same, or has little change. I don’t usually use the 3D feature on the 3DS because it’s a complete eye strain, so I didn’t have it on often.

You’re going to get a lot of the same funny dialogue you expect from the show. Despite the text based conversations, you can still see the spirit of each character shine through. The game is self-aware, it knows what it is and acknowledges which video game-isms it’s using.

The game is very linear and repetitive. You’ll find yourself going through the same motions throughout the game. Beat a quest, do the same post-quest stuff, move on to the next quest. There are fun upgrades you can get for your gear, but they can only be used in situations where they are needed. You can’t incorporate them into your combat, they’re just progress upgrades.

Once you’ve gotten through the game and you have all the needed upgrades, you can revisit all of the levels and access places you couldn’t before. You can find all of the loot requested by Grunkle Stan and find the missing items of the various townsfolk. Doing so gives you some extra surprises, so if you’re into getting the most out of your game, look everywhere you can, go back to previous levels. Collect everything.

Overall, it’s an okay game. It’s a bit cheaper than other 3DS games, so I think the price is justifiable. There isn’t an interesting story here or state of the art game play, but if you enjoy Gravity Falls and it’s humor, you’ll get something out of this game. It’s a fun game to play when you’re unwinding for the day. They haven’t brought anything new to the table here, it will feel like something you’ve played before but with a Gravity Falls spin.

 

 

Have you played “Gravity Falls: Legend of the Gnome Gemulets”? If so, what do you think of it? If you haven’t played it, do you think you’ll pick it up!

Gravity Falls: Legend of the Gnome Gemulets is in stores now and on the Nintendo Eshop!